


Robyn Amell - Hero of Ferelden

by xDracarys



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2020-08-20 21:06:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 17,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20234368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xDracarys/pseuds/xDracarys
Summary: Robyn Amell, a beautiful mage apprentice, is just living her life in the Circle when First Enchanter Irving and Knight-Commander Greagoir decide that it is time for her Harrowing. And if that is not enough excitement for Robyn, a whole lot more will be waiting for her when it becomes clear that the Grey Wardens are looking for new recruits.





	1. (Robyn) Mages, the Circle and the Harrowing

**Author's Note:**

> Hi hi,  
I'll warn you right away. I've never read or written a fanfic before, this is my first one. It is based on Dragon Age: Origins. I will add in some minor changes and such but I plan on keeping the main story intact. Also, different chapters might be written from a different POV.  
This is for all you people who, secretly or not, are like me and fell in love with Loghain while reading the Stolen Throne or even without reading it.

I sighed heavily as the earliest rays of sunshine peeked through the narrow gap between my curtains. I turned away from them and pulled my sheets over my head. _It was way too early to be getting up yet_, I thought as my eyes closed again. _Maybe I could sleep just a little bit more_… With a gasp of realization I suddenly shot straight up, eyes wide awake. _Oh no!_ I thought, as my hands grabbed my hair. _Today is the day!_ The day that every apprentice mage in the Circle of Magi was anxiously waiting for. Today was the day of my Harrowing.

Yes, I was a mage. Call it a gift, or a curse, but some people in Thedas happened to inherit the genetic code that gave them the power of magic. The power to freeze things, to burn things, to electrocute things. The power to heal people, to damage people, to… well, you know. And with power comes responsibility and with powerful people comes dangerous people and people who were looking to exploit and abuse their powers. And that is why mages had to be locked up. That, and because Andraste said that magic is to serve men and never to rule over him. _Andraste, the bride of the Maker_, I thought. I wasn’t entirely sure whether I believed in a high power.

Anyway, that is why the Circle of Magi, also called the Circle Tower, was created. The name was not so odd, considering that it was nothing more than a very high circular tower. Every major city had such a Circle Tower, and every mage was to be sent there at a very young age, namely when they started showing signs of magic. The Circle was supposed to be some kind of school for mages to learn how to handle their magic, except that mages weren’t ever allowed to leave the Circle unless approved by the First Enchanter, and it was not easy to get his approval. It is not so hard to imagine that there were parents who did not want to lose their child to the Circle. That is how apostates came to be. An apostate was a mage living freely away from the Circle. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Well, if you don’t take into account that they were constantly being hunted by templars and therefore had to be kept hidden at all times. Templars also guarded the Circle Tower, in case a mage would fall prey to temptation by a demon. That was the curse side to being a mage. Mages had a very strong connection to the Fade, the place where people went to when they were asleep or dead. And in the Fade there were benevolent spirits, harmless and helpful, as well as malevolent demons, always looking for a way out of the Fade and into the world of men, and the only way they could do that was by tempting and possessing a host. Templars weren’t completely defenseless though. Aside from their swords and shields, they also had magic of their own at hand, except their magic was fueled by lyrium rather than inherited. Lyrium could be compared to a drug. It helped templars majorly against possessed mages and demons, but it was addictive and would eventually cause the downfall of a person.

And that was why the Harrowing existed. It was a test, some sort of exam that an apprentice needed to pass in order to become a full member of the Circle of Magi. And once you were a full member of the Circle of Magi, you were theoretically not a danger anymore and therefore it was illegal to strip such a mage of their emotions and their connection to the Fade, a ritual called the Rite of Tranquility.

The enchanters in the Circle of Ferelden had decided that I was ready to face my Harrowing and to become a full member of the Circle of Magi. I had no idea what was awaiting me. The Harrowing was kept secret for every apprentice. The thought of that was making me nervous and a bit scared, though on the other hand I was excited to get rid of my apprentice title. Maybe if I passed my Harrowing, First Enchanter Irving would allow me to leave the Circle at times to visit my family.

With that thought in mind, I stretched out and jumped out of bed.


	2. (Robyn): A Favor for a Friend

I had dressed myself in my best looking robes. They were red with golden embroidery and they almost touched the ground. I had brushed my dark brown hair and it fell in waves over my shoulders. It looked almost black, whereas my eyes were bright blue. I looked into the mirror one last time and let out a deep sigh. _Okay, you can do it._

As I opened the door to leave my bedroom, a black-haired young man around my age startled me. “Robyn!” he yelled in excitement. “Eh… hello Jowan”, I said while breathing heavily. “I’m sorry, did I scare you? Robyn, first of all I want to congratulate you on your Harrowing today.” “Thanks Jowan, but I did not pass it yet”, I said. “Oh I know, but at least they let you do your Harrowing! I don’t mean to offend you, but I’ve been an apprentice longer than you have and it’s so frustrating that they won’t let me do my Harrowing yet! I’m beginning to wonder…” Jowan suddenly looked a bit scared and he turned his eyes away. “Wonder what?” I asked. “They probably just think you aren’t ready yet. I’m sure your time will come.” “But when will I be ready? I don’t know Robyn, I’m getting a bad feeling about this. Do you know what you will have to do for your Harrowing yet?” “I have no idea, but I’m sure it won’t be anything too dangerous. They wouldn’t do that to apprentices, right?” Jowan threw a look at me that didn’t exactly comfort me. “I don’t know. I mean, they want to test if you are ready to become a full member of the Circle. They want to be sure you’re not a danger to other people. I can’t imagine they’ll test that by letting you make a couple of rats fly.” Great. Now my imagination went completely wild over the Harrowing and a lot of thoughts on what it could be popped into my head. _Don’t think about it Robyn, you’re bound to go paranoid this way. Just wait and see._

A light tapping on my shoulder pulled me out of my thoughts. Jowan’s other hand was waving in front of my face. “Robyn? You’re staring. I want to tell you the reason that I came to you, if you don’t mind. I need your help, quite urgently as a matter of fact.” “Well, we’re friends right? What do you need?” I asked. Jowan suspiciously looked around him to see if anyone was nearby, before he whispered: “Before your Harrowing starts, I need you to distract First Enchanter Irving. Keep him busy. Just talk to him or something, doesn’t matter about what. All I need is time.” My eyes went a bit narrow as I looked at Jowan. “Mind telling me what you plan to do while I distract Irving?” I asked. “I cannot tell you”, Jowan said, “but you’ll have to trust me. You said it yourself, we’re friends right? Please help me out with this favor, it would mean a great deal to me and I swear I’ll make it up to you once I’ve done what I need to do.” I sighed. I didn’t know Jowan to be a bad guy. In fact, he had always seemed like the type who wouldn’t hurt a fly. “So long as you promise me you’re not blowing up the Circle or killing anyone innocent” I said. “Promised”, Jowan said with a sound of relief in his voice. “Thank you so much Robyn, I owe you. And I wish you good luck with your Harrowing! I’m sure you’ll pass it and you’ll make a wonderful mage of the Circle.”

And with that, Jowan ran off. I slowly made my way to First Enchanter Irving’s office, all the while wondering if I did the right thing deciding to help Jowan.


	3. (Duncan): Knight-Commander Greagoir and First Enchanter Irving

I looked up to the great building in front of me. It was so high, that with the current weather, the top of it was hidden in the clouds. I felt impressed and intimidated by it at the same time. _I’m lucky I’m no mage_, I thought. _Living in the Circle would feel so isolating_. Not that it mattered much right now, because I was a Grey Warden and Grey Wardens dedicated themselves to fighting the Blight that came with darkspawns and Archdemons. _And you don’t fight a Blight from inside a tower_.

I sighed, knocked on the big, brown double doors and waited. A moment later the doors opened and a middle-aged man with grey hair, mustache and beard and quite some wrinkles in his face looked at me. I noticed he was wearing templar armor. “Yes?” he said. “What is your business?” I pointed at my blue and silver striped armor bearing an ornament with 2 griffons in the middle of the chest piece. “I am out looking for new Grey Warden recruits. First Enchanter Irving…” I began, but I was interrupted by a man who looked older than the first one due to the bags under his eyes. He too had grey hair but his beard was longer and thicker. He softly pushed the first man out of the way and smiled at me. “Come now Greagoir, is that any way to treat the Commander of the Grey Wardens?” His voice sounded a bit creaky. “I am First Enchanter Irving”, he said. “Welcome to Ferelden’s Circle of Magi.” “Thank you kindly, Irving”, I said and as he signed to me to come in, I followed him inside and through the bent hallways of the tower all the way to his office.

“You will have to excuse Greagoir. Maybe you know how these templars can be when it comes to keeping an eye on the mages. And he is the Knight-Commander”, Irving said, implying that Greagoir was probably the most strict of them all. “It’s okay Irving, I understand. You and I have discussed my reason for being here. I don’t mean to frighten you, but darkspawn have been showing up on the surface and we Wardens have been fighting them successfully thus far. We haven’t seen any signs of an Archdemon yet, but I know that the darkspawn numbers are increasing and it’s giving me cause to worry. If it goes on like this, they will eventually outnumber us. And that again brings me to why I am here looking for new recruits. I need abled people from all over Thedas who are willing to do what is needed to protect their country. You should also know that the Grey Wardens do not exclude anyone. Not mages and not any criminals either”, I explained. Irving threw a worried look my way. “Duncan, you know how I feel about letting mages leave the Circle. It’s not that I would want to keep them from seeing the world outside the Circle, but what happens if a mage outside the Circle falls prey to a demon? It is my responsibility…” “Not as soon as they become a Grey Warden, Irving. Once a mage becomes a Grey Warden, they are my responsibility and I can assure you that we have our own precautions in case anything happens to our mages. I ask you to see reason, Irving, because this, a Blight, threatens us all, no matter our origin, no matter the decisions we made in life.” Irving sighed and I could see in his eyes that he was about to give in. “You are right. A possessed mage is a danger to nearby people, but if we don’t risk it, we endanger all of Thedas”, Irving admitted. “How will you decide who is a good candidate?” “I will have to stay here for a while if you don’t mind and keep a close eye on your mages. In fact, I was also hoping you might have a few suggestions”, I said. Irving frowned, turned his back towards me to lean on his desk and for a minute or two, he and I didn’t say a word.

Then suddenly he got up and turned back to face me again. “I do have two suggestions”, he started. “A boy and a girl”. I looked at him somewhat impatiently because two mages would make a great addition. Irving opened his mouth. “The boy is called Jowan and the girl is…” Suddenly there was a knock on the door. “Come in”, Irving said. I turned around to see who entered the office. It was a young woman around the age of 20, her blue eyes looking nervously and her dark brown hair waving over her red robes with golden embroidery. “Ah Robyn, it is good that you came”, Irving said while throwing me a look that made me realize that this was the girl he was about to mention to me.


	4. (Robyn): The Harrowing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This is quite a long chapter hehe.

I was surprised to see that Irving wasn’t alone in his office. Next to him stood a slightly tanned man around the age of 50 with black hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail, and black facial hair. He was wearing blue and white striped armor with 2 griffons on the chest plate. I recognized that as the Grey Warden logo.

“Hello Robyn”, Irving said as I entered his office. “Let me introduce you to the Commander of the Grey Wardens, Duncan.” The man named Duncan reached out to me with his hand and I shook it. “Robyn Amell”, I said. “I will get straight to the point”, Duncan began. “As Warden-Commander, it is my task to ensure that there are enough Grey Wardens to fight a Blight at all times. And if that is not the case, it is my task to bolster those numbers by looking for new recruits. Which is why I am here. I will be keeping an eye on various mages here to see if there are any worthy candidates for the Grey Warden army. For now all of this has nothing to do with you, but while I am here, I thought it worth it to be present at the Harrowing that the mages go through. Irving told me that your Harrowing is planned today and so I wanted to ask you if you’d mind my presence.” I blinked a few times and looked from Duncan to Irving and back. “Eh… yeah sure, by all means, I’d be honored”, I said politely. “Good, then it is time. Follow me”, Irving said, and he led us out of his office and up the stairs all the way to the top of the tower. There, Knight-Commander Greagoir was already waiting for us with a few of his templars as well as a handful of mages. The sight of that made me even more nervous. _What am I going to do that requires the presence of templars_? Irving must’ve noticed the look on my face, because when we arrived at the spot, he said: “I will not lie to you, Robyn. The Harrowing is not without risk. Knight-Commander Greagoir and his templars are here for your protection as well as ours. The Harrowing is a secret and for good reason. Should you pass, you are not to tell any apprentice about what it means to go through the Harrowing. Because what you will do, Robyn, is enter the Fade and find your way out of it again while preventing yourself from falling prey to demons. If you succeed, you pass the Harrowing. If not, well, the worst possible scenario is that you let yourself become possessed and that is when Greagoir is required to step in and strike you down. But I ask you not to worry, because we would not let you into the Fade if we did not think you are ready.” _Well, that is comforting. _I had no idea what to expect in the Fade. I knew that demons could take on any form there so I would have to be suspicious of everyone and everything I saw. I let out a sigh too silent for anyone to hear. “Okay, I am ready”, I said. “Here”, Irving said. “Take your staff. You will need it.”

The mages that were present, went to stand in a circle around me and started casting a spell. I felt like I was floating for a few seconds, before I fell onto the ground. I moaned, slowly stood up and looked around me. The environment was a bit fuzzy and unclear, like I was dreaming. I could make out small hills, trees and some kind of overgrown ruin. _Okay Robyn, keep your head clear, don’t panic_. Behind me was a semi crumbled wall belonging to the ruin. I started following the path beneath the trees in front of me. It was a linear road with a few bends and turns. Eventually I reached a more open, circular place. In the middle of it was some kind of altar. As I approached it, I suddenly heard a voice. “Hello!” It came from behind me. I turned around and when I didn’t seem to see anyone, I looked down to the ground and saw a rat. “Hello!” it said again. “Eh… hello”, I said. “You are a talking rat.” “I’m sorry, I will explain myself. I am just so happy to finally see someone here after all this time. My name is Mouse. I was once an apprentice, like you. I once took my Harrowing, as you are taking it now. But I failed. I let myself get possessed, so the templars were forced to kill me. I’ve been stuck in the Fade ever since. That was a long time ago. In the meantime I have learned how to transform into a rat, which has proven really useful but I’ve been in this form in the Fade for so long, I don’t remember my real name anymore.” I felt pity for Mouse. “I’m so sorry, that must be horrible. Is there any way I can still help you get out of here?” I asked. “No”, Mouse said. “It is too long ago, it is too late for me. But I’ve made it my job to help the apprentices who come in here, so you don’t end up like me.” “Okay”, I said. “Do you know what I have to do? I feel lost.” “Yes. You will have to follow the same path I had to follow all those years ago. Come on, I will show you the way”, Mouse said before he ran off. I quickly hurried after him, continuing the path that I had been following.

After a while, the road seemed blocked by a giant animal that was asleep. It looked like a bear, but it also had spikes on its back. As we approached, the animal slowly woke up. It looked at us as if it was unhappy that we had woken it from its slumber. “Yes?” he said with a grumpy voice. “Oh. It’s another apprentice.” He then yawned and closed his eyes again. “Wait!” That was Mouse’s voice. “Please Sloth, I want to ask you something. I want to ask if you can teach me how to become a bear, so I can help this apprentice pass her Harrowing.” _Sloth. That’s what Mouse called the bear. So the bear must be a sloth demon. _I had heard of sloth demons. There were different types of demons and they fed on different types of sins from the seven deadly sins. The sloth demon fed on, well, the sloth sin. That explained the lazy look on this animal. This one even seemed too lazy to bother trying to possess me. Sloth opened one eye, looking at Mouse with a face that expressed sarcasm. “You want to learn how to turn into a mighty bear?” he asked. For a moment, he seemed unwilling to help Mouse and me. But then something changed in his eyes. “I have an idea”, he said. “I will teach the rat how to turn into a bear. But you, human, will have to solve three of my riddles.” I lifted my eyebrows at the demon. “Are you joking?” I asked. Sloth sighed. “I do not joke. I am just…” Sloth yawned again. “… too lazy to help you without something fun in return. Oh yea, of course there is a price. If you don’t solve my riddles correctly, I get to do what I want with you.” That didn’t sound good. But did I have a choice? _No_, I thought. Mouse was my best chance in the Fade and it would probably help greatly if he could turn into a bear. “Fine”, I said. “I will solve your riddles. Try me.” Finally, both of Sloth’s eyes opened and he slowly stood up to face me. “Great”, he said. “Riddle one: I have seas with no water, coasts with no sand, towns without people and mountains without land. What am I?” That one was easy. “A map”, I said. Sloth’s eyes went narrow. “Very well”, he admitted. “Riddle two: I am rarely touched, but often held. If you have wit, you will use me well. What am I?” I threw a look at Mouse and he looked back at me. He might’ve been a rat, but his look told me that he could not help me. I looked back at Sloth’s face. He was looking at me with a proud face as he realized I was struggling with this riddle. He started licking his lips. _Licking his lips_, I thought. _I know it!_ “A tongue!” I almost yelled. “You can hold your tongue without touching it!” Sloth’s satisfied look disappeared from his face and he sighed. “Yes, your witty tongue”, he said bored. “Riddle three: Often will I spin a tale, never will I charge a fee. I’ll amuse you an entire eve, but alas, you won’t remember me. What am I?” This riddle seemed too easy for a mage in the Fade. “A dream”, I said. I could tell that Sloth became annoyed. “Yes, a dream”, he said. “And as promised, I will teach Mouse how to turn into a bear.” Mouse threw a joyful look at me.

It took a while and I was patiently waiting at the sideline until Sloth was done teaching Mouse. “Look!” Mouse yelled at me while in bear form. He seemed to be all content with himself. “That is great news, Mouse”, I said. “Thank you Sloth, for your help.” “Yeah yeah”, Sloth said, before laying down and going back to sleep. “Okay, now we can go back to the altar where I found you. Follow me”, Mouse said. Together, we walked back to the altar in the circular, open space. This time, when I approached the altar, a purple smoke started to rise up around it. I sniffed a couple of times. The smoke smelled a bit, like… a fireplace. My favorite smell, it reminded me of my bedroom in the Circle. “What is happening?” I asked. “I remember the purple smoke”, Mouse said. “And the smell. I might’ve forgotten my real name, but I wouldn’t forget my favorite smell. I used to love the smell of freshly washed clothing.” “Freshly washed clothing?” I asked in surprise. “I don’t smell that at all. I only smell the fireplace from my bedroom.” Mouse looked at me and his eyes became big. “A desire demon”, he said. Now it was my turn to set up big eyes. “A desire demon?!” I gasped. And at that very moment, she appeared in front of me. I had to admit that for a demon, the desire demon was a beautiful creature. She looked humanoid, but with purple skin. She had no real hair, but instead 2 big horns grew from her forehead to the sides. Her face looked perfect, as far as that was possible for a humanoid demon, and so did her half naked body. Perfect hourglass shape with big breasts, which weren’t covered at all aside from the nipples. _A body most women could only dream of_. Around her neck was a golden necklace, almost like a collar, from which thin chains ran down her chest to the little golden plates that covered her nipples. Aside from that she was wearing pants of which the upper part did not even reach her hips, but only had two straps of clothes crossed over her lady parts, and trumpet sleeves from her elbows down to her wrists. She was looking at me with some sort of lust in her eyes. Ironic that this was what the desire demon looked like, the demon that preyed on the lust sin. _And I have to admit that it is really difficult to resist such a temptation like her_. That explained why the smell of the smoke was different for Mouse and me as well. We both had different desires.

“So you come to me at last”, the desire demon began with a very mysterious, deep voice. “What is it that you desire most? I know what it is. You are aching to see your family again. You haven’t seen them in 15 years. It is your deepest desire. Fear not, I will share my desire with you as well”, she said, while she started stroking her breast with one hand. “I only have one desire. It is to see the world of the living through the eyes of a mortal. It is for your body and soul to be mine.” The demon emitted some kind of mystical energy that drew me to her and that made it hard to snap out of it and resist. But I saw Mouse standing beside me and I knew what I was doing it for. “As tempting as that sounds”, I began, “I would rather not become an empty sack waiting to be filled by some demon or another.” The desire demon started pouting. While she came even closer to me, her face and body now only inches away from me, she asked: “What if I had something more… to offer?” I started reaching out to her with my hand, when I heard Mouse suddenly say: “Robyn, no!” That pulled me out of the demon’s grasp and I refused her offer. “Very well. Have it your way”, the desire demon said, before she took on a fighting stance and started summoning spells. I quickly grabbed my staff.

It was a long and difficult fight. Mouse ran into the desire demon multiple times and got thrown into the air and frozen multiple times. I was doing my best to heal him with my spells while casting some fireballs and electric bolts at the desire demon. Two times she summoned a handful of copies of herself to confuse us into which one was the real one, before she finally gave up and disappeared into nothing. I put away my staff and looked at Mouse. “You did it!” he yelled. “You actually did it!” “Is she dead?” I asked. “Demons don’t really die, just like spirits don’t”, Mouse explained. “It is hard to explain and I am no expert on it either. I did not think that any of you apprentices were worthy to pass, but you have proven differently.” I started getting doubts. “I don’t know Mouse, it all seems a little too easy, doesn’t it?” “No Robyn, I believe you are just that strong but you don’t know it yet! You must be meant for great things. I had no hope. But you have shown me other possibilities. If you want to help. There may be a way for me to leave here, to get a foothold outside. You just need to want to let me in.” I gasped when suddenly realization hit me. _Of course it seemed too easy_. “I’m… starting to think the other demon wasn’t my test”, I stammered. Mouse’s look changed. “Robyn, you have to be quick, or the templars will kill you. You’ve already spent a lot of time in the Fade, they will think you are lost. You have to decide now.” “Relax, I’m sure they won’t just kill me without knowing for sure whether I’m lost. Irving wouldn’t allow it”, I said determined. “You don’t know what the templars are like”, Mouse began. “I hate those mortals… I mean we’re all mortals, but the templars…” That is where Mouse failed to keep up his cover. I saw in his face that he realized that he could not persuade me. Suddenly his voice went very low, deep, evil sounding. “Maybe they are right about you”, he said. I did not recognize Mouse anymore. “Simple killing is a warrior’s job. The real dangers of the Fade are preconceptions, careless trust… pride.” And right after he had said that, he started to shapeshift into something gigantic. I had never seen any demon, or anything else for that matter, so big. It must’ve been at least 3 times as big as me. This demon too had a purple skin, but it was not beautiful at all. It was large, very broad, its chest, shoulders and back completely covered in spikes. It had 3 eyes on both sides of its face and one more eye in the middle, and also 2 horns on his head, but they were directed to the back. I recognized it as a pride demon, one of the most powerful demons. They fed on the pride sin, and the more complex the sin, the more powerful the demon. Pride was a very complex sin. He opened his mouth to say one more thing: “Keep your wits about you, mage. True tests never end.” Then he disappeared and I felt like I was floating again for a few seconds before I fell on another floor. The stone floor of the Circle.

“Congratulations Robyn.” Irving’s voice. “You have passed your Harrowing.”


	5. (Jowan): The Things I Do For Love

I was glad Robyn had decided to help me. She would understand later why it meant so much to me. For now I had to do what I should’ve done a while ago. I walked into my bedroom, closed the door behind me and locked it.

“Jowan, you’re back! How did it go?” I turned around to look into my lover’s beautiful brown eyes. Her hair wasn’t long enough to reach her shoulders and it had the same color as her Chantry robes. “Hey Lily, it went well. Robyn was a bit suspicious at first but she came around and has decided to buy me some time by distracting Irving.” “That is understandable, but we have to do this. I won’t let them make you Tranquil”, Lily said with dedication in her eyes. “Robyn is on her way to Irving as we speak. We should go quickly now”, I said.

Lily followed me out of the bedroom and we swiftly ran to the base floor of the tower, constantly making sure no one saw Lily because no one could know that I was in a relationship with a Chantry initiate. At the base of the tower there was a set of stairs leading down into some kind of big cellar. The door to it was always locked and for a good reason too. _There they are. That is where we need to be_, I thought as I touched the double doors. I watched as Lily nervously put the key that I managed to obtain out of Irving’s office, into the keyhole and turned it around. With a click the doors unlocked and after looking around to make sure nobody saw us, we pushed open the doors, sneaked into the cellar and closed the doors again.

The way seemed very straightforward until we came to some sort of junction. We looked in the different directions but none of them really gave us a hint to show us that that’s where we needed to go. “Do you know where to go?” Lily asked me. “Maybe you can feel something? I mean, it is basically your blood we’re going to. Maybe you’re somehow still connected to it.” I closed my eyes and tried to listen and feel at the same time. Somehow, without a real explanation, I felt that we had to take the corridor to the left. “Follow me”, I said and I walked ahead of Lily. After a few turns, we came into a huge room that had shelves on every wall leading up to the ceiling and on all of these shelves, there were hundreds, maybe even thousands, of little glass vials filled with a bit of blood. “This is it”, I said. “Now we just need to find my phylactery.” Lily started looking on the shelves to see if there was any kind of order in them, maybe alphabetical. I closed my eyes and in the back of my head I softly heard a whisper. What it said wasn’t clear, it almost sounded like a different language, maybe old elvhen. I opened my eyes and realized that the whisper was coming from a specific direction. I tried to follow it as well as possible, the whisper becoming louder and louder the closer I got.

And then there it was, right in front of me. “Lily!” I called. The phylactery in front of me was shaking just a little and it almost looked like it was lighting up. A little label on it said “Jowan Ascew”. Lily joined me and she saw it too. “Good”, she said. She picked up the little vial and immediately threw it on the ground as hard as she could. The glass broke and blood stained the stone floor. I made sure to remove the blood stains as well as I could with a bit of magic, so that the templars wouldn’t find it again. _Now I am free and they have no way of tracking me anymore_. “Come on”, I said. “We have to get out of here.” I grabbed Lily’s hand and together we ran back to the double doors through which we entered the cellar.

But when we reached the top of the stairs, an unpleasant surprise was awaiting us. We had run straight into the arms of First Enchanter Irving, Knight-Commander Greagoir and two of his templars. And beside them was no one other than Robyn Amell. I gasped and stopped running. “Well well”, Greagoir said. “What have we here?” “Jowan… with a Chantry initiate?” Irving looked surprised and worried at the same time. I looked at Robyn angrily. “Did you tell them?” I asked, clenching my teeth. “No Jowan, you have to believe me. I did not even know what you were going to do! I did not even know about this girl you are with. Who is that even?” Robyn asked. “Yes Jowan, who is that girl?” Irving asked calmly. I breathed in, realized that it was of no use to lie to Irving and Greagoir because they probably very well knew what I had done down there and with dedication in my voice I said: “This is my beloved, Lily, and I have destroyed my phylactery so that she and I can live in freedom, because I knew that you were planning on making me Tranquil. I overheard it myself.” Irving sighed and then Greagoir spoke. “You destroyed your phylactery. I hope you know what the punishment for this crime is. And Lily helped you so she is guilty as well. Jowan, I sentence you to die and Lily shall be exiled to Aeonar.” At that point, rage overwhelmed me. Not because of my death sentence, but because of Lily’s punishment. Lily, who wanted nothing more than to help me so she could be with me. I clenched my fists really tightly and heavily breathed in and out before I decided there was no other way. I stretched out my left arm and cut it, making it bleed. At that very moment Irving and Greagoir had a horrified look on their face and I could just see that Irving pushed Greagoir as well as Robyn out of the way. Then, with all the power I had inside me, I cast a spell so powerful it threw Irving, Greagoir and Robyn off their feet and against the back wall. The two templars were thrown up against the ceiling and back on the floor so hard they stopped moving.

I knew that we had to get out of here before Greagoir and Irving got back up. I wanted to grab Lily’s hand but she pulled it away. When I looked at her, she had a horrified look on her face as well. “Jowan, I helped you”, she said. “Because I thought you were innocent. I thought they were wrong for wanting to make you Tranquil, but you are a blood mage!” “I’m sorry, Lily, but I had no other choice. I wanted us to be together, living freely. They would’ve never allowed me to do that otherwise.” “The ends don’t always justify the means, Jowan,” Lily said. I looked to the right and saw Greagoir and Irving slowly coming back to their feet. _It is now or never_. Without hesitation but with tears in my eyes, I left Lily behind and disappeared from the Circle.


	6. (Robyn): A New Grey Warden Recruit

I was shocked, I did not know how to react to Jowan’s actions. I had seen him cut his lower arm, I had seen the blood and I had seen him use it to strengthen his magic. _Blood magic._ I had not thought it possible that Jowan was a blood mage. I slowly got to my feet and noticed Irving and Greagoir laying on the ground. I quickly ran to Irving and was relieved to see he was alive.

“Blood magic. Of course,” I heard Greagoir say behind me. “Greagoir, calm down,” Irving tried. But it was no use. Obviously Greagoir had suspected this and his suspicions just got confirmed. “Where is the blood mage?” he asked. “He got away.” I had almost forgotten about Lily, Jowan’s partner. “I’m sorry to all of you, I am not lying when I say that I did not know Jowan was really a blood mage. I am disgusted by it as well.” “I believe you,” Irving started. “But sadly the law is the law and I cannot change it. Lily, you are hereby sentenced to exile to Aeonar.” Lily’s head was hanging now. “I understand.”

Greagoir looked to me now. “Let’s not forget that Robyn helped him too. She bought him time by talking to you, Irving.” Irving looked worried. “I know that, Greagoir, but she did not know what Jowan would do. I’m sure if she had known, she wouldn’t have helped him.” “The law is clear, Irving, and it does not exclude anyone. Robyn should…” But Greagoir was interrupted by another man who entered the room. “Excuse me Knight-Commander, First Enchanter,” he said. It was Duncan, the Warden-Commander. “I happened to overhear your little discussion about Robyn’s punishment and I wanted to add something, If I may.” Greagoir seemed to want to object, but Irving interrupted him just in time. “Speak your mind,” he said. “As I mentioned earlier, I am looking for new Grey Warden recruits. I have seen a bit of Robyn’s fighting skills and of Robyn herself, she has passed her Harrowing perfectly and I have this feeling that she would make a great candidate for the Wardens.” I gasped. This Warden-Commander, he wanted me to join? For a moment, my mind and my thoughts were going crazy. When I got it all sorted, I asked: “Before I make any decision, what exactly is it that the Grey Wardens do?” “Grey Wardens fight the Blight. That is the short version. The longer version is that a Blight is not a Blight unless there’s an Archdemon. That is really what we are for. We kill them. I take it you have heard of darkspawn and Archdemons before?” Duncan said. I nodded. “Wait wait wait,” a voice suddenly said. Greagoir’s voice. “Are we forgetting that Robyn just _helped_ a blood mage escape? Are we forgetting that she still needs punishment?” “I’m sorry good man,” Duncan started. “But the Grey Wardens stand above the law. We take everyone, even those who are criminals or who are convicted of a crime. That means I can recruit her without her undergoing the punishment you require. If that doesn’t please you, then at least think of the atonement Robyn will get when fighting the Blight. Her skills won’t go to waste there and she can help save the world.” Greagoir did not at all seem happy with this. _But what is he going to do?_ _Duncan said it himself, the Wardens stand above the law._

“So Robyn, what do you think? Sadly I cannot give you more time to think about it. You must come with me now unless you want to be left in the hands of the Knight-Commander,” Duncan said. And I knew what that meant. Tranquility most likely. Being stripped of my connection to the Fade and of my emotions. Becoming a puppet, a tool, for the templars. I did not know what to expect of the Grey Wardens and my role in their army, but I knew one thing. _I would rather die than being made Tranquil_. I looked at Greagoir, who seemed to be clenching his teeth. Then I looked at Irving, who was smiling at me and trying to slowly nod at me while making sure Greagoir didn’t see it. Irving wasn’t an unreasonable man. He wanted what was best for every one of his mages. So he obviously wanted me to take advantage of this opportunity. Then I looked at Duncan. I had made up my mind. “I’ll join,” I said.


	7. (Cailan): The Grey Warden Recruits

I felt relieved when I could finally leave my tent, but I tried not to look like I was in a hurry to be gone. I took my time to stretch my back. _Dull meetings_, I thought. We just got done discussing tactics and a strategy regarding the upcoming battle against the darkspawn. Those meetings were always between the Warden-Commander Duncan, the Teyrn of Gwaren Loghain Mac Tir and the King of Ferelden, me. Although we had to do without Duncan this time, because he was gone to find new recruits for the Grey Wardens. But I had little interest for such meetings, because I considered them useless. _This is not even a real Blight, because so far we have heard or seen nothing of the Archdemon. And without an Archdemon, there is nothing to lead the darkspawn and therefore there is no threat._ _These darkspawn are merely stragglers who got lost on the surface and that means this battle will be over quickly. _And even though everyone highly regarded the King and they would listen to me too, I could notice in Duncan’s behavior and facial expressions that he was not convinced. Neither was Loghain, but Loghain was no Grey Warden. Loghain used to be nothing but a common soldier, but he managed to climb his way up to strategy advisor while defending Ferelden from the Orlesian usurper. He had basically led the attack there. I definitely had a lot of respect for his actions against the Orlesians, and he knew my father, old King Maric. They had become close friends actually during the battles against the Orlesians. Loghain had always told me a lot about my father, especially to try to teach me some life lessons. He hadn’t really succeeded though.

I suddenly felt a repeated tapping on my shoulder. I turned around to see it was Loghain. He was a middle-aged man, his black hair almost reached his shoulders and he had some defining wrinkles in his face. “Come on Cailan,” he said sternly. “We have to be at the gates to meet the new Grey Warden recruits.” I had almost forgotten Duncan would return today, with or without new recruits. While following Loghain to the gates, I passed a few people of some importance. One of them was a woman around my age. She was leaning against a tree, her already white hair pulled back into a short ponytail and her staff on her back. I knew her as a senior enchanter of the Circle of Magi. She was not a Grey Warden, but she was, with permission of the First Enchanter, in Ostagar to help out against the darkspawn nonetheless. “Good day, king Cailan,” the woman said kindly and she smiled. “Good day, Wynne,” I replied and I smiled back.

I then continued to follow Loghain to find Duncan just entering through the gates with three people I did not know. “King Cailan, Teyrn Loghain,” Duncan said and he bowed slightly. “Duncan!” I said enthusiastically while spreading my arms. “No need for such formalities. I see you have brought three new recruits. Who do we have here?” I shook their hands one by one. “Ser Jory of Redcliffe, your highness. I served as a knight under Arl Eamon.” “Daveth, your highness, from Denerim.” And last but not least, someone who got my attention straight away. A young woman carrying a staff on her back. Not that the Grey Wardens did not recruit women, or mages. On the contrary, the Grey Wardens accepted anyone willing to defend the country, but I had not seen it that often. And this mage was a young one too. _Doesn’t look much older than 25._ It made me curious to her story. She shook my hand, quite firmly for a woman. She had a proud look on her face, but not arrogant. “Robyn Amell, your highness, from Ferelden’s Circle of Magi.” “I am King Cailan Theirin, son of Maric. And this here is Teyrn of Gwaren Loghain Mac Tir, our strategy advisor,” I said. “Pleasure,” Loghain said. “Now Cailan, I am afraid we must return to discussing battle tactics and come up with a final strategy.” “That sounds fine by me,” Duncan said. “Robyn, Daveth, Jory, you are free to explore Ostagar right now. I ask you to find Alistair. He is our junior Grey Warden and therefore he will help the three of you prepare for the Joining later.” I let out a soft sigh. “Is all that discussing really necessary? The darkspawn are on their way, but alas we’ve seen no sign of an Archdemon. I am not even sure this is a true Blight.” Duncan once again did not look convinced, but worried instead. It made me wonder if he knew something Loghain and I did not. “I don’t know, Cailan. Better safe than sorry. We have to be prepared in case the Archdemon does make an appearance,” he said before leading us back into Ostagar. I reluctantly followed him and Loghain back to the tent.


	8. (Daveth): Meeting Fellow Grey Wardens

I had explored Ostagar together with my fellow new recruits, Robyn and Jory. They seemed nice enough, although Jory was suspicious about this entire Joining ritual. He kept asking our opinion on it and what we thought we would have to do for it. He would say: “I have already proven myself to Duncan, what else do I need to do?” But of course neither me, nor Robyn, knew the answer to that.

While exploring Ostagar, we had gotten to know each other and each other’s background stories a bit. Jory used to be a knight serving Arl Eamon in Redcliffe. He had a wife who was pregnant and he was willing to do what it takes to keep them safe from the upcoming threat. That deserved a great amount of respect from me. Robyn was a Circle mage who had just passed her Harrowing, which meant that she was a full member of the Circle now. Apparently she was caught helping a blood mage escape, but she claimed not to have known what he was truly up to. It was all fine to me. She did not have to explain herself to me, because her background story seemed nothing really bad compared to mine. I had told King Cailan I came from Denerim, which was not entirely a lie. I hadn’t grown up there though, I had lived there for the past six years as a career criminal. In fact, I had tried to steal a purse from no one other than Duncan himself when he caught me red-handed. I obviously ran as fast as I could, but I did not manage to escape the guards, who caught me and had sentenced me to hang for repeated offenses. I was surprised and relieved when Duncan came to me and was not angry at me. Instead, when the guards wouldn’t listen to him, he used the Right of Conscription to recruit me into the Grey Wardens. The Right of Conscription was a right that a Warden-Commander could use that stood above everything else and no one was able object to it, not even the recruit themselves really. _Not that I would’ve objected._

We slowly made our way to the battlements, where we saw two young men chatting. When we closed in to them, it became clear that it was not a happy conversation. One of the men had short but thick, blonde hair and he was wearing the typical blue/silver Grey Warden armor. The other man was wearing Circle robes with a staff on his back. “What is it now? Haven’t Grey Wardens asked more than enough of the Circle?” the mage asked. “I simply came to deliver a message from the revered mother, ser mage. She desires your presence,” the Warden replied. “What her reverence desires, is of no concern to me. I am busy helping the Grey Wardens, by the king’s orders I might add!” “Should I have asked her to write a note?” “Tell her I will not be harassed in this manner!” “Yes, I was harassing you by delivering a message.” “Your glibness does you no credit.” “And here I thought we were getting along so well. I was even going to name one of my children after you… the grumpy one.” “Enough! I will speak to the woman if I must,” the mage concluded. He then proceeded to walk away and bumped into me on the way out. “Get out of my way, fool,” he said. The Warden turned to us. He didn’t look much older than us. “It’s so nice to see everyone working together in a crisis,” he started. “Warms the heart.” “Eh, what?” Robyn asked confused. “I am Alistair. The revered mother made me deliver a message to the mage I just spoke to. It is ironic, because I was once a templar and the mage picked right up on that.” “You were a mage-hunter?” I asked. “There is more to being a templar than hunting mages, but yes, you are right. Now, we aren’t here to discuss my previous activities. As the junior member of the Wardens, it is my task to guide you through your Joining.” “So are you going to tell us what this Joining is about?” Jory asked suspiciously. “That is not for me to tell you. We will go to Duncan now and he will explain it to you. Follow me.” While following, I could hear Jory softly whispering “finally”.

“Ah good, I see you found Alistair,” Duncan said. “Then if you are ready, it is time to begin preparations for your Joining. Alistair will be with you the entire time and the four of you will have to find some items. First of all, you will need to collect three vials of darkspawn blood, one for each of you.” Jory’s eyes grew bigger. “What are we to do with those?” he asked. “I will explain that once you have retrieved them. The second item I want you to collect are the Grey Warden treaties.” “Is this part of the Joining ritual too?” Robyn asked. “No, but we have hidden our Grey Warden treaties very well on purpose. They are very valuable in case this really is a Blight. I will explain it all to you later. You will find the treaties in a cache in the ruins of an overgrown building…” Alistair interrupted Duncan. “What a strange place to hide something so valuable.” “We do not fear that anyone gets to them,” Duncan said. “The cache is magically sealed and the seal can only be broken by a Grey Warden.”

“So that is all fun and stuff,” I started. “But where would we find darkspawn blood and this cache with the treaties?” Duncan looked at us very seriously and I could definitely tell that what he said next was not meant as a joke. “The Korcari Wilds.”


	9. (Robyn): The Korcari Wilds

The Korcari Wilds, and Duncan was being serious. “But isn’t that… dangerous?” Jory asked. “That is why you have been recruited in the first place,” Duncan said. “I wouldn’t have recruited you if I didn’t think you are up to this task. Don’t worry, Alistair will be with you the entire time.” Having a Grey Warden with us reassured me a little, but I knew what could lurk in the Korcari Wilds and I knew that the wolves were our smallest concern, especially because Duncan expected us to return with darkspawn blood and there was only one way to obtain that. But I also realized we had no choice. We were to become Grey Wardens, so we had to do this. I gathered my courage and told the men that we should go sooner rather than later.

We had to go through the gates surrounding Ostagar to get to the Korcari Wilds. The gates were always guarded by soldiers, who let us through now because we had business in the Korcari Wilds. While making our way into and through the Korcari Wilds, Alistair told us a bit more about himself. “I was sent to the Chantry when I was 10 years old. For 9 years they trained me there to become a templar. There is just one “but”, and that is that I’ve never taken my vows.” I looked at him. “So you never officially became a templar?” I asked. “That’s right. I didn’t feel at my place at the Chantry and Duncan recruited me into the Grey Wardens.” “He didn’t recruit you just because he felt sorry for you, did he?” I asked surprised. “Well, yes and no. I competed at a tourney held to honor the Grey Wardens, in which I lost. Nonetheless, Duncan saw something in me and he was determined to recruit me into the Grey Wardens. You can imagine the resistance from the Grand Cleric when she heard that Duncan wanted one of her templars-to-be. So Duncan invoked the Right of Conscription.” “And is that what you wanted?” I asked. “It does not matter what I wanted, because the Right of Conscription cannot be argued with. But I did feel unhappy at the Chantry and Duncan has been a friend to me, a father-figure.” I sensed a bit of sadness in Alistair’s eyes, but I wasn’t going to poke and prod. “I see.” “So, have you ever encountered darkspawn before?” Alistair asked. “No,” I said. “First time I saw one, I almost wet myself. There’s different types of darkspawn. The most common ones are hurlocks and genlocks. Then there’s shrieks, ogres and emissaries. I could tell you all about them, but it’s best to learn from experience.”

Suddenly Alistair stopped walking, which made Daveth almost bump into him. “What are you doing?” Daveth asked slightly astonished. “Wait,” Jory said. “Do you hear that?” I listened very well but all I could hear was the wind blowing through the leaves of the trees around us. “It’s nothing. I swear, I’m the bravest one around here and I’m a woman. Let’s go,” I said. “WATCH OUT!” Alistair screamed while he pushed me and Daveth out of the way. Then he grabbed his sword out of its sheath and his shield from his back. Jory held his greatsword with both his hands, Daveth grabbed the bow from his back together with an arrow and tightened his bowstring. Before I could do anything, we were ambushed by three darkspawn that appeared out of nowhere behind us. They were small, the size of dwarves and they were carrying armor and daggers, probably looted off people they killed. They came running straight towards me. They looked horrific. Their skin was in between green and grey, they had no hair and their ears were pointy. Their eyes were bloodred and they had no lips. Instead, their teeth were perfectly visible as if in a permanent creepy smile. I stumbled backwards a bit and quickly casted a small fireball with my hands that I threw at the darkspawn. “Genlocks!” Alistair screamed. I grabbed my staff from my back. I could cast spells with my bare hands, but they were much stronger with my staff. Alistair and Jory did a good job keeping the darkspawn off Daveth and me, while we were firing at them from a distance. At one point, one of the darkspawn turned its attention to Daveth, but Daveth shot an arrow straight down into its foot to pin it down. It didn’t take very long for us to kill the genlocks. Their bodies were on the ground and their blood was already dripping. For a little while, we just stared at it. “Well, come on,” Alistair said. “You have to collect the blood.” “Right,” I said and I grabbed the vial that was strapped to my belt. Daveth and Jory did the same and we carefully filled it with a bit of the darkspawn’s blood. “That should be plenty,” Alistair said. “Now we just need to find the Grey Warden treaties.”

We headed further into the Korcari Wilds, fighting the occasional darkspawn stragglers and a group of wolves we came across. We were introduced to hurlocks, who were as common as genlocks but they were human-sized, and shrieks, who were basically a bit like assassins as they went into stealth only to surprise you at your back moments later. We crossed a bridge, on top of which was a darkspawn wearing a staff and on his head seemed to be some kind of helmet with spikes. “That is an emissary,” Alistair whispered. “They are the mages under the darkspawn. Watch out for its spells.”

And eventually, on my left hand, I saw what we were looking for. Big ruins, overgrown by ivy. There wasn’t much of the building left, I wondered what it would’ve been. After defeating the darkspawn that were guarding the building, we walked up to it. “This is it, the cache has to be in here,” Alistair said. “Well,” Jory started. “This has been quite a trip. I would be glad to be out of this cold forest and back at the warm fire in Ostagar. Let’s go in, grab the treaties, and leave.” We agreed that the forest was indeed cold. _Atleast Jory is wearing heavy armor_, I thought while looking down at my mage robes. The four of us walked into the building and right under a half broken staircase, there was the cache. It was a little brown chest. “There it is!” Daveth yelled. We ran to the cache to open it and grab the treaties, but there was one issue.

The cache was broken.


	10. (Robyn): The Witch of the Wilds

I ran up to the cache with just a slither of hope left, but even that faded away when my thoughts were confirmed. The cache was not only broken, but empty too.

“Shit, what do we do now?” Daveth asked. “Stay calm, maybe we…” Alistair started, but he was interrupted by a somewhat dark and mysterious voice behind us. I heard footsteps coming down from the remains of the staircase. “Well, well, well, what have we here?” A female voice. The three of us turned around at the same time. Standing on one of the steps was a woman around our age, maybe slightly older. She had a slightly tanned skin, black hair which she wore in a messy bun on the back of her head and yellow, cat-like eyes. But most striking, at least to me, were her clothes and what was on her back. She was wearing dark leather pants and a dark red top with a waterfall so deep that the top hardly covered her breasts. And she wore a big, broad necklace. On her back was a staff, something I noticed straight away. For a moment, we were all frozen in our spot. “Are you a vulture, I wonder?” the woman asked. “A scavenger, poking amidst a corpse whose bones were long since cleaned? Or merely an intruder, come into these darkspawn-filled Wilds of mine in search of easy prey?” I wasn’t exactly sure what to respond. “What say you, hmm? Scavenger or intruder?” “We are neither,” Alistair finally said. “The Grey Wardens once owned this tower.” “’Tis a tower no longer. The Wilds have obviously claimed this desiccated corpse. I have watched your progress for some time. “Where do they go”, I wondered. “Why are they here?” And now you disturb ashes none have touched for so long. Why is that?” she asked. “Don’t answer her,” Alistair said. “She looks Chasind, and that means others may be nearby.” I knew little of the Chasind, other than that they were a human tribe dating back to ancient times and they were considered primitive and barbaric. “Ooh, you fear barbarians will swoop down upon you?” the woman asked. “Yes,” Alistair said. “Swooping is bad.” Suddenly Daveth spoke up. “She’s a Witch of the Wilds, she is! She’ll turn us into toads!” The woman sighed. “Witch of the Wilds. Such idle fancies, those legends. Have you no minds of your own? You there…” She was looking me in my eyes now. “…Women do not frighten like little boys. Tell me your name and I shall tell you mine.” “You can call me Robyn,” I said. “And you may call me Morrigan,” the woman replied. “Shall I guess your purpose? You sought something in that chest, something that is here no longer?” “Here no longer?” Alistair asked. “You stole them, didn’t you? You’re… some kind of… sneaky… witch-thief!” “How very eloquent. How does one steal from dead men?” “Quite easily, it seems. Those documents are Grey Warden property, and I suggest you return them,” Alistair said. Morrigan narrowed her eyes. “I will not, for ‘twas not I who removed them. Invoke a name that means nothing here any longer if you wish; I am not threatened.” “Then who removed them?” I asked. “’Twas my mother, in fact,” Morrigan said. “Your mother? Can you take us to her?” I asked. “Now there is a sensible request. I like you.” “I’d be careful,” Alistair said. “First it’s “I like you” but then _zap_! Frog time.” “She’ll put us all in a pot, she will. Just you watch,” Daveth said. Finally Jory said something. “If the pot’s warmer than this forest, it’d be a nice change.” “Follow me then, if it pleases you,” Morrigan said. She turned around and walked into the woods.

We followed Morrigan a little while through the Wilds. Little was said, but I could notice that the men didn’t trust this one bit. I did not know whether I could trust Morrigan, but we had to try. We needed those treaties. Eventually we came to a little hut that stood lonely in the middle of the woods. An elderly looking woman was standing in front of the hut, she seemed to be expecting us. “Greetings mother,” Morrigan started. “I bring before you four Grey Wardens who…” “I see them, girl. Hmm… much as I expected.” “Are we supposed to believe you were expecting us?” Alistair said while laughing a little. “You are required to do nothing, least of all believe. Shut one’s eyes tight or open one’s arms wide… either way, one’s a fool!” Morrigan’s mother said. “She’s a witch, I tell you! We shouldn’t be talking to her, “ Daveth whispered to us. “Quiet, Daveth! If she’s really a witch, do you want to make her mad?” Jory asked. “There is a smart lad. Sadly irrelevant to the larger scheme of things, but it is not I who decides. Believe what you will,” Morrigan’s mother said. “And what of you?” She looked at me now. “Do you possess a different viewpoint? Or do you believe as the others do?” “I believe you have something we need,” I said. “They did not come to listen to your wild tales, mother,” Morrigan said. “True!” the elderly woman said. “They came for their treaties, yes? And before you begin barking, your precious seal wore off long ago. I have protected these.” “You… oh. You protected them?” Alistair sounded surprised. “And why not? Take them to your Grey Wardens and tell them this Blight’s threat is greater than they realize!” “What do you mean?” I asked. “Either the threat is more, or they realize less. Or perhaps the threat is nothing! Or perhaps they realize nothing!” Morrigan’s mother burst out into laughter. “Oh, do not mind me. You have what you came for.” “Time for you to go then,” Morrigan said. “Do not be ridiculous, girl. These are your guests.” Morrigan sighed. “Oh, very well. I will show you out of the woods. Follow me.”

And so Morrigan led us out of the woods, back to the Grey Warden camp at Ostagar.


	11. (Robyn): The Joining

The four of us rushed back to Duncan who was waiting for us at the campfire. He turned around to face us. “So you return from the Wilds. Have you been successful?” “We have,” Alistair spoke for us. “Good. I’ve had the Circle mages preparing. With the blood you’ve retrieved, we can begin the Joining immediately.” “Now will you tell us what this ritual is about?” Jory asked. Duncan looked worried now. “I will not lie. We Grey Wardens pay a heavy price to become what we are. Fate may decree that you pay your price now rather than later.” I gasped. _Does this mean that the Joining ritual can kill us?_ It seemed that the other two recruits realized the same thing. “Are you saying that the ritual can kill us?” Daveth asked. “As could any darkspawn you might face in battle. You would not have been chosen, however, if I did not think you had a chance to survive.” “Let’s go then,” Daveth said. “I’m anxious to see this Joining now.” “I agree, let’s have it done,” Jory said. “Then let us begin.” Duncan looked at Alistair. “Alistair, take them to the old temple.”

We followed Alistair to a somewhat isolated area separated from the rest of Ostagar by two statues that seemed to be defending it. Both of them were holding swords. One was pointing up, the other one was down into the ground. Inside the area stood a table with a cup on top of it. The cup was so big, I imagined if there were ale in it, I would be drunk after emptying it once. The four of us gathered around. “The more I hear about this Joining, the less I like it,” Jory said. Daveth started to get irritated. “Are you blubbering again?” “Why all these damned tests? Have I not earned my place?” Jory asked. Daveth shrugged. “Maybe it’s tradition. Maybe they’re just trying to annoy you.” “I don’t like this any more than you do,” I admitted. A cold shiver ran across my back as I said it. “I only know that my wife is in Highever with a child on the way. If they had warned me… it just doesn’t seem fair,” Jory said. “Would you have come if they had warned you? Maybe that’s why they don’t. The Wardens do what they must, right?” Daveth had a point there. “Including sacrificing us?” Jory asked surprisedly. Daveth sighed. “I’d sacrifice a lot more if I knew it would end the Blight. You saw those darkspawn, ser knight. Wouldn’t you die to protect your pretty wife from them? Maybe you’ll die. Maybe we’ll all die. If nobody stops the darkspawn, we’ll die for sure.” “I’ve just never faced a foe I could not engage with my blade,” Jory said.

Suddenly, Duncan entered the temple behind us. “At last we come to the Joining.” His voice did sound a bit ominous. “The Grey Wardens were founded during the first Blight, when humanity stood on the verge of annihilation. So it was that the first Grey Wardens drank of darkspawn blood and mastered their taint.” I hadn’t seen Jory as scared as he looked now. “We’re… going to drink the blood of those… those creatures?” “As the first Grey Wardens did before us, as we did before you. This is the source of our power and our victory.” “Those who survive the Joining become immune to the taint. We can sense it in the darkspawn and use it to slay the Archdemon,” Alistair explained. “Those who survive?” I asked. “Not all who drink the blood will survive and those who do are forever changed. It is why the Joining is a secret. This is the price we pay,” Duncan said. “We speak only a few words prior to the Joining, but these words have been said since the first. Alistair, if you would?” Alistair bowed his head and held a fist to his heart. “Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand, vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten and that one day we shall join you.” While Alistair was talking, I saw Jory get more and more scared. He looked around to each of us and then to the big cup that was standing on top of the table, before Duncan picked up the cup with two hands. He poured the blood from one vial into the cup.

“Daveth, step forward.” Daveth looked dedicated. He took the cup from Duncan and looked into it before drinking the darkspawn blood from it. What happened next got me staring in shock and horror. After Daveth gave the cup back to Duncan, he started to shake and tremble. He leaned forward and rested one hand on his knee while grabbing his head with the other hand. He started screaming in some sort of agony. When he finally managed to stand back up, all we saw was the white back of his eyes. Jory gasped. “Maker’s breath!” Daveth reached for his throat before falling onto his knees and then he finally dropped on the stone ground. He wasn’t moving anymore. “I am sorry, Daveth,” Duncan said. “Step forward, Jory.” Jory started shaking and slowly moving backwards. He reached for the two-handed sword on his back and pulled it from the sheath. “But… I have a wife! A child! Had I known…” “There is no turning back,” Duncan said. “No! You ask too much! There is no glory in this!” Duncan realized which way this scene was going. He put the cup aside and grabbed his dagger from the sheath on his belt.

The fight did not last for more than mere seconds, as Jory might’ve been a soldier from Redcliffe, but Duncan was an experienced and skilled Grey Warden. Metal clashed on metal before Duncan drove the dagger through Jory’s heart. _Oh my God_, I thought. _What do I do? What is happening? Daveth and Jory are both dead and I have no choice but to drink the darkspawn blood. The only thing I can hope for is that it doesn’t hurt too much before I die. _I wasn’t even sure how I felt about Duncan anymore. He seemingly killed Jory in cold blood! _Is he even a good guy? Is all of this even legit? This strange, secret ritual involving monster blood which kills people. _I looked at Alistair and tried to calm down. Alistair didn’t seem like a bad guy. He seemed nice. Awkward, but nice. Alistair suddenly looked back at me, plucking at his blonde waves while he seemed to be apologizing to me using his hazel eyes. “I am sorry,” Duncan said and it seemed like he was talking to Jory, but also to me and Alistair. “But the Joining is not yet complete.” Duncan looked at me and handed me the cup with the blood from the third vial. “Robyn, you are called upon to submit yourself to the taint for the greater good.” I looked down into the cup, to the puddle of red that was staring back at me. _All my life stuck inside the Circle, just to get into this mess straight after finally being free. Well, I suppose this is it_. I firmly grabbed the cup with two hands before pouring all of the blood down. I closed my eyes as I felt the blood running down. It burned a little. I gave the cup back to Duncan and waited for that moment where I too started shaking and trembling. But it did not happen. I still had my eyes closed, but I heard Duncan say: “From this moment forth, you are a Grey Warden.” It was then that my head suddenly started hurting badly. I quickly laid my hand to my forehead. When I opened my eyes again, I did not see Duncan and Alistair anymore, neither did I see the temple at Ostagar. All I saw was a sky, but it was not blue. It was green. The type of green you expect poison to be. And I saw a dragon. It was huge, a deep, dark red color and it was roaring so loudly that it made me pass out.

I groaned and reached for my head before I slowly opened my eyes. Above me were two concerned faces: Duncan and Alistair. “It is finished. Welcome,” Duncan said. “Two more deaths,” Alistair said. “In my Joining, only one of us died, but it was… horrible. I’m glad at least one of you made it through.” _But Jory did not die at the hands of the darkspawn_. I was wise enough not to say that out loud. “How do you feel?” Duncan asked. “I can’t believe you killed Ser Jory!” I yelled. “Jory was warned that there was no turning back, as were you all. When he went for his blade, however, he left me no choice.” I guess Duncan had a point there. _It was basically self defense what he did, right?_ Jory said he had a wife and a child though and that was what hurt me. But I guess Jory shouldn’t have gone for his blade then. Duncan saw the concern in my face. “It brought me no pleasure to end his life. The Blight demands sacrifices from us all. Thankfully, you stand here as proof they are not all made in vain.” Alistair looked at me. “Did you have dreams? I had terrible dreams after my Joining.” Duncan started to explain. “Such dreams come when you begin to sense the darkspawn, as we all do. That and many other things can be explained in the months to come.” “Before I forget, there is one last part to your Joining. We take some of that blood and put it in a pendant. Something to remind us… of those who didn’t make it this far.” Alistair gave me my pendant and I tightened it around my neck. “Take some time,” Duncan said. “When you are ready, I’d like you to accompany me to a meeting with the king.” “Very well,” I said. “The meeting is to the west, down the stairs. Please attend as soon as you are able.”


	12. (Loghain): Battle Tactics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is the first chapter in which Loghain has some thoughts about Cailan and the Grey Wardens and Orlais. This is mainly how I think Loghain thinks about them and things I concluded from the game, from the book "The Stolen Throne" and from background information. There are no major spoilers for "The Stolen Throne".

I looked at the map that was laying on the wooden table in front of me, my hands resting on each side of it. I had just advised King Cailan to wait for reinforcements from Redcliffe before battling the darkspawn. “Loghain, my decision is final. I will stand by the Grey Wardens in this assault.” “You risk too much, Cailan! The darkspawn horde is too dangerous for you to be playing hero on the front lines,” I said. “If that’s the case, perhaps we should wait for the Orlesian forces to join us, after all.” I sighed heavily and turned away. _You stupid fool_, I thought. _Cailan is too naive, just as Maric was. At least I could change Maric a little, but Cailan seems to be more stubborn. He only wants to be the hero and he’s relying too much on these Grey Wardens. Not to mention he loves the Orlesians and if it were up to him, we would be waiting for their forces anyway. Why else would he wait for the Orlesian forces but not for Redcliffe’s forces? _I did not think as highly of the Grey Wardens as Cailan did. They were just so secretive. They claimed to be not only useful to end Blights, but required even, but no one besides them knew why and they would not share the reason. And I did not think very highly of Cailan either, but to say that out loud would be considered treason. Cailan took after his father, Maric, who used to be my best friend when we were younger. Both naive and stubborn and wanting to be the hero. Except what was worse about Cailan was his love for Orlais. It did not matter what he said to me, to my daughter Anora or to anyone else, I knew that Cailan wanted to leave Anora for the empress of Orlais, Celene. I hated Orlais, because of what happened all that time ago. Back when Maric and I were friends, our country Ferelden was captured by an Orlesian usurper, whom we eventually overthrew. Horrible things happened to Ferelden and to us during that time. _When I think back to what the Orlesian soldiers did to my family… no, don’t_. For me it was clear as day: The Orlesians should stay out of Ferelden.

I turned back to Cailan and looked him straight in the eyes. “I must repeat my protest to your fool notion that we need the Orlesians to defend ourselves!” Cailan shook his head. “It is not a “fool notion”. Our arguments with the Orlesians are a thing of the past… and you will remember who is king.” “How fortunate Maric did not live to see his son ready to hand Ferelden over to those who enslaved us for a century!” I yelled. “Then our current forces will have to suffice, won’t they?” Cailan turned to Duncan now. “Duncan, are your men ready for battle?” Next to Duncan was the new Grey Warden, Robyn. “They are, your Majesty,” Duncan said. “And this is the young lady from the Ferelden Circle of Magi I met earlier? I understand congratulations are in order,” Cailan said. “Thank you, your Majesty,” Robyn said. “Every Grey Warden is needed now more than ever,” Cailan said. I started to get annoyed. “Your fascination with glory and legends will be your undoing, Cailan. We must attend to reality.” “Fine,” Cailan said. “Speak your strategy. The Grey Wardens and I draw the darkspawn into charging our lines and then…?” “You will alert the tower to light the beacon, signaling my men to charge from cover,” I told him. “To flank the darkspawn, I remember. This is the Tower of Ishal in the ruins, yes? Who shall light this beacon?” Cailan asked. “I have a few men stationed there. It’s not a dangerous task, but it is vital,” I said. “Then we should send our best,” Cailan said. “Send Alistair and Robyn to make sure it’s done.” “You mean I won’t be fighting in the battle?” Robyn asked. “We need the beacon. Without it, Loghain’s men won’t know when to charge,” Duncan explained. “You see? Glory for everyone!” Cailan happily stated. “You rely on these Grey Wardens too much. Is that truly wise?” I asked him. I noticed that Cailan was becoming annoyed too now. “Enough of your conspiracy theories, Loghain. Grey Wardens battle the Blight, no matter where they’re from.” “Your Majesty, you should consider the possibility of the Archdemon appearing,” Duncan said with a concerned look on his face. “There have been no signs of any dragons in the Wilds,” I said. “Isn’t that what your men are here for, Duncan?” Cailan asked. “I…” Duncan started. “Yes, your Majesty.”

Suddenly a Circle mage approached. “Your Majesty, the tower and its beacon are unnecessary. The Circle of Magi…” He was interrupted by a Chantry priest. “We will not trust any lives to your spells, mage! Save them for the darkspawn!” I sighed. “Enough! This plan will suffice. The Grey Wardens will light the beacon.” Cailan seemed relieved. “Thank you, Loghain. I cannot wait for that glorious moment! The Grey Wardens battle beside the King of Ferelden to stem the tide of evil!” I walked away from the table a bit and breathed in deeply. “Yes Cailan,” I said. “A glorious moment for us all…”


	13. (Robyn): An Important Job

The battle between men and darkspawn had started. Duncan, Alistair and I gathered around the campfire. “You heard the plan. You and Alistair will go to the Tower of Ishal and ensure the beacon is lit.” Alistair’s mouth fell open. “What? I won’t be in the battle?” “This is by the king’s personal request, Alistair,” Duncan said. “If the beacon is not lit, Teyrn Loghain’s men won’t know when to charge.” “So he needs two Grey Wardens standing up there holding the torch. Just in case, right?” Alistair asked sarcastically. “Oh come on Alistair, we have an important job!” I said. “We must do whatever it takes to destroy the darkspawn… exciting or no,” Duncan said. Alistair sighed. “I get it, I get it. Just so you know, if the king ever asks me to put on a dress and dance the Remigold, I’m drawing the line. Darkspawn or no.” I looked at Alistair and pulled up an eyebrow. “I don’t know Alistair, it could make a great distraction.” “Me shimmying down the darkspawn line? Sure, we could kill them while they roll around laughing.” Duncan merely sighed. “The tower is on the other side of the gorge from the king’s camp, the way we came when we arrived. You’ll need to cross the gorge and head through the gate and up to the tower entrance. From the top, you’ll overlook the entire valley,” he explained. “We will signal you when the time is right. Alistair will know what to look for.” “We know what we have to do,” I said. “Then I must join the others. From here, you two are on your own. Remember, you are both Grey Wardens. I expect you to be worthy of that title.” “Duncan… may the Maker watch over you,” Alistair said. “May He watch over us all,” Duncan said before he turned around to make his way towards the other Grey Wardens who were going to be fighting on the front line.

Alistair and I started making our way towards the Tower of Ishal. First, we had to cross the gorge like Duncan said. At the right side of the big bridge were a group of archers firing arrows down at the darkspawn horde. At the same time, the darkspawn were firing back at the archers using trebuchets. Alistair and I quickly ran across the bridge as we saw archers fall one by one. Near the end of the bridge, I saw a huge rock flying our way, but before I could even do anything, the rock hit the bridge with massive force, sending archers flying. I lost my footing and fell over. Alistair grabbed my arm and pulled me up. “Come on, we have to move!” he shouted. I quickly ran after him to the other side of the bridge. When we got there, we came through a handful of small fights between Grey Wardens and darkspawn and soldiers and darkspawn. Alistair and I made sure to help as many people as possible by killing a few darkspawn of our own.

“Look!” Alistair suddenly shouted. My eyes followed his pointing finger to a terrifying scene. A lone person was being cornered by darkspawn as they were slowly approaching him. I saw him moving his hands through the air and creating a barrier around himself to protect him. He was a mage. “We have to help him!” I yelled. Knowing that the barrier would protect the mage, I used my hands to create a ball of fire and I shot it straight at the group of darkspawn. The force of the fireball blasted the darkspawn away from the mage. This gave the mage some space to regain himself, after which he too started shooting spells at the darkspawn. Alistair charged into the horde and started slashing around with his sword while keeping his shield up. One by one the darkspawn fell. I saw Alistair sheathing his sword and I put away my staff, breathing heavily. The mage came towards us. “You saved my life, I cannot thank you enough,” he said. “You’re Grey Wardens right? The Tower of Ishal… it’s been taken.” “What are you talking about? Taken how?” Alistair asked. “The darkspawn came up through the lower chambers! They’re everywhere! Most of our men are dead!” Alistair looked at me. “Then we have to get to the beacon and light it ourselves!” “I will follow you, if you’ll have me,” the mage said. “Absolutely, we can use all the help we can get,” I said. And so the mage followed us towards the Tower of Ishal.

Eventually we reached a set of stairs leading up to an area where our destination was, namely the door to the Tower of Ishal. But just as we were making our way towards the door, I felt a sudden thud in my back. I fell forward, being able to catch myself with my hands just in time. I rolled over onto my back just to see a darkspawn above me. This one was different from the others. He was wearing armor and a helmet and he was carrying a giant two-handed axe. He looked at me, started laughing and lifted up his axe high above his head. As quick as I could, I tried to create a barrier around me as I shouted Alistair’s name. The barrier formed around me and I closed my eyes tightly as the axe came swinging down.

But nothing happened. I heard a sudden barking and growling but felt no damage to my barrier. I slowly opened my eyes and was surprised by what I saw. The darkspawn was knocked over by one of the war hounds that were being kept in Ostagar. The hound was on top of the darkspawn, biting and scratching as much as he could. I got up on my feet as quickly as I could, cast a healing spell on the hound after which I finally saw Alistair thrusting his sword into the darkspawn. “Phew, that was a close call,” he lightly said. I sighed. “Where were you?” I asked, but I was interrupted by the hound, who came running towards me, happily barking. I sat down next to him and he started licking my cheeks. “Yes, you are most welcome and thank you very much for saving my life as well,” I said. The hound barked again and started jumping around. “Mabari are very intelligent.” The Circle mage had popped up behind me. “They understand everything you say to them. This one likes you and I think he has imprinted on you.” “Imprinted?” I asked confused. “Each mabari chooses their master for life in a process called imprinting. This one has chosen you.” My eyes widened and I had to keep my mouth from falling open. “Me? His master for life?” The dog barked and his tail was wagging happily. “Mabari are very useful. They’re not just pets, they’re combatants. To have one on your side is an honor,” the mage said. I looked at the mabari. “Well, then I suppose I should give you a name, shouldn’t I?” I said. The hound panted, his head turned a bit sideways as if he was waiting for me to give him a name. “I know!” Alistair suddenly said. “You should call him Barkspawn! Get it? Bark-spawn?” I looked at Alistair with a face that should’ve told him enough. “No way, that is…” I started, but I was interrupted by the Circle mage. “That is brilliant!” he laughed. I sighed and looked at the mabari, who seemed happy enough. “Very well then. Barkspawn it is,” I said. “Now let’s finally head to the Tower of Ishal.”


	14. (Robyn): The Tower of Ishal

The Circle mage was right. As soon as we opened the door, we saw various groups of soldiers battling darkspawn. “Come on!” Alistair shouted and he ran on ahead. “Shouldn’t we help them?” I asked him while quickly chasing him. “There is no time! We have to get to the beacon to light it on Duncan’s signal and we are already delayed by the battles outside,” Alistair said. I knew he was right. It didn’t feel right to leave these soldiers to their fate, but we had to, or we would surely lose the war. The mage, Barkspawn and I quickly ran after Alistair. On our way through the ground floor of the tower, we came across a few darkspawn that turned their attention to us, including an emissary. The four of us managed to make relatively quick work of them. Barkspawn was putting in good effort too. We made our way to a set of stairs leading to the first floor, passing battle after battle.

As we came to the first floor, the scenery changed. It was suddenly quiet as there was no fighting here. The soldiers were all stuck fighting on the ground floor. “Don’t get your hopes up,” Alistair said. “Just because it’s quiet doesn’t mean there’s no darkspawn here.” We quickly found out Alistair was right. As soon as we got around the first corner, a group of darkspawn charged at us.

The four of us fought our way to the second floor and then to the third floor, winning one battle after another. “These darkspawn aren’t making it any easier for us to reach that beacon in time!” Alistair said. He was right, but there was nothing we could do about it. I was just hoping Duncan and the other Wardens would hold on long enough for us to reach the beacon and signal Loghain to send his troops. We would get hurt in battle sometimes, but the mage’s healing spells and those of my own were proving to be very useful.  
Eventually we made it to the last set of stairs leading to the top floor. “That’s where the beacon should be,” Alistair said. “No time to waste then,” I said and I lead the group through the door.

But what I saw behind the door shocked me. I suddenly stopped running, and Alistair crashed into me. I heard him gasping. “What is THAT?!” he asked. Right in front of us was a huge creature, it almost reached the ceiling of the building. Its back was turned towards us and it was busy doing something. The noise we heard implied that it was chewing on something. It must’ve heard us enter, because it stopped chewing and lifted its head. When it turned to look at us, I saw that it was a darkspawn, only that it was probably three times as tall and four times as wide as a normal darkspawn. “An ogre!” the mage shouted. At that moment, the ogre started roaring. I saw that it was about to charge right at us. “Get out of its way!” I yelled and I dived off to the side. Barkspawn ran after me, barking loudly before he started his assault on the ogre who was regaining from its crash into the wall. I started shooting fireballs and electric shocks at the ogre. As Alistair made his way to the ogre, I saw the Circle mage casting a paralyze spell which managed to trap the ogre in a magical cage for a couple of seconds and made it unable to move, giving us some time to damage it. Once the ogre was able to move again, it bent over and grabbed a huge rock off the floor. It turned towards the Circle mage and lifted the rock above its head. “Watch out!” I shouted. The Circle mage started running, but not quickly enough to avoid the shock of the rock crashing into the floor, so he fell over. I threw a healing spell at him. Barkspawn was attacking the ogre from behind, but with one sweep of its arm, the ogre threw Barkspawn away. I heard Barkspawn let out a small cry and I cast another healing spell. Healing spells were effective but also quite exhausting. We had to really start damaging the ogre now. The Circle mage activated a spell which made our weapons able to deal more damage. I cast a hex at the ogre which made him more vulnerable to our spells. The Circle mage and I shot one spell after the other at the ogre while Barkspawn was biting and scratching.  
After a couple of minutes the ogre finally fell on its knees. “Alistair, now!” I shouted. Alistair threw away his shield and charged at the ogre, sword pointed forward. When he had almost reached the ogre, he jumped, his sword lifted high above his head. He then drove the sword into the ogre’s head. The ogre let out a deafening cry before he fell on his back and hit the floor with a loud thud. I sank to my knees and breathed heavily. Barkspawn ran towards me as well as the Circle mage. “Are you okay?” the mage asked. “Yes, I’m fine. The fight just wore me out a bit.” “I feel you,” the mage said. “Casting spells isn’t as easy as it seems.” Alistair walked towards me and offered me a hand to get up. “Come on Robyn, look! There is the beacon!” He pointed towards the pile of wood that we had to light up. I got up on my feet and with some help of Alistair and the Circle mage, I limped forward.

We had reached the beacon. I used the energy I had left to create some fire to light it. We saw the fire quickly crawling its way up to the top of the building. We were about to happily cheer when we suddenly heard a loud bang. It was the door that just flew out of its post. A horde of darkspawn quickly entered the room. We were completely caught off guard and before we could even react, arrows started flying across the room. I saw a various amount of arrows fly into the Circle mage, Barkspawn and Alistair. I moaned as an arrow struck me in my left shoulder. The last thing I saw was darkspawn charging at us before everything went black.


	15. (Duncan): The Battle for Ostagar

I was standing at the gates of Ostagar overlooking the valley which stretched out far and wide. To the left of me was King Cailan and to the right of me teyrn Loghain. “I trust you know what you have to do, Loghain?” I asked. “It is clear. I will stay here with my armies and wait for the beacon’s signal to flank the darkspawn while you hold them off,” Loghain said. “Good. Your Grace, are you ready?” I asked and I looked at Cailan. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” he replied. Cailan followed me to the front line where the soldiers were already lined up. The hounds all the way on the front line, behind them the Grey Warden warriors, then the archers and mages. Final prayers were spoken, blessings were given. I looked back over my shoulder to see two of my Grey Wardens anxiously awaiting the start of the battle so they could fulfill the mission that the king gave them. Robyn and Alistair had my full trust and I knew that they would succeed. I was wondering if the archdemon would show up. _If so, I would have to be the one to kill it. I have to make sure that no one else, especially not Robyn or Alistair, will try to play the hero. They will understand why it has to be me, in due time._

And then it happened. Because of the taint I was able to hear the darkspawn communicate, so I knew they were coming. Not much later, I saw figures appearing in the valley. I looked to my left. “Here they are,” I said to Cailan, who simply nodded. “Archers!” The archers grabbed their bows and arrows. “Nock!” The archers nocked their arrows and awaited further instructions. Moments later I heard: “Draw!” The archers pulled back the string on their bows. The darkspawn approached. I could vaguely see their terrifying faces now. They were grinning, smashing their weapons on their shields and growling. Once they were within reach, I heard: “Loose!” I saw tens of hundreds of arrows fly through the air. Some of them found their way into a darkspawn, others merely hit the ground. The archers were able to take out a portion of the darkspawn before they came closer. “Hounds!” And then the hounds took off. They charged into the horde and took down as many darkspawn as they could before they were wiped away. And then all that was left were the warriors and the archers and mages who could still get in some arrows and spells. “For Ferelden!” they shouted before they took off.

And so the battle started. King Cailan and I charged in as well and we killed one darkspawn after the other. It seemed to go well and Cailan and I were able to keep going, but I knew in the back of my head that we were heavily outnumbered because Loghain refused to ask for help from Orlais and we did not wait for forces from Redcliffe. Nevertheless we kept fighting tirelessly. I would look back over my shoulder every now and then to see if the beacon was lit yet. _It’s taking long for them to light the beacon. Why is it taking so long?_ I couldn’t imagine that they had ran into a lot of trouble inside the Tower of Ishal, but perhaps I was wrong. _Could it be that the darkspawn had find their way into the Tower? _If so, I could only hope that Robyn and Alistair were fine and able to get to the beacon at all. If not, Loghain wouldn’t know when to charge and we would certainly be doomed.

The fighting took long, very long. So long that my legs were starting to get tired. Every swing of my sword felt heavier and heavier. I decided to sheath my sword and take out my daggers. They were lighter and made me able to move around more quickly and agile. While I was dancing around the darkspawn, slicing them down one by one, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my right leg. I turned around and saw that a Hurlock alpha had managed to thrust his axe into my leg. I made quick work of them but then I fell onto my knees. I grabbed my leg and started to look around me. Hundreds of soldiers were lying dead, scattered across the battlefield. The amount of the ones still standing came nowhere near the amount of darkspawn still standing. At that moment I felt it in my heart and in my bones. _We are losing_. I grabbed a piece of cloth that was laying on the ground and used it to quickly bandage my wound. Just when I was doing that, I heard one of the mightiest roars I’d ever heard. I looked up to see an ogre right before he angrily smashed his fists into the ground. The shockwave threw King Cailan off his feet. The ogre made his way to Cailan, grabbed him with one hand and lifted him into the air like he was nothing more than a tiny insect. Cailan was looking at the ogre, trying to force himself out of the ogre’s hand, but he stood no chance. The ogre roared a second time before he threw Cailan against a tree with massive force. Cailan’s lifeless body dropped onto the ground and blood was streaming out of his head and his body.

I felt powerless and horrified, angry and also sad. The king was dead, murdered by the darkspawn. The ogre was standing over his body lifting his huge arms up. Rage overcame me. I stood up, grabbed my daggers and ignored all of my physical and mental pain as I ran towards the ogre. I jumped up and thrusted my daggers into the ogre’s belly. One dagger after the other I climbed my way up to his chest, at which point I had stabbed him so many times that he fell down on his back, dead. Then I sank down onto my knees. I had lost my hope. The king was dead and we were losing the battle. Multiple darkspawn came running towards me, including another Hurlock alpha with a two-handed axe. I looked over my shoulder to where Loghain and his army should have been waiting for the beacon, but he wasn’t there. I looked to the Tower of Ishal and saw the beacon burning. I soon realized what had happened. I turned to face the approaching darkspawn. The last thing I saw was the Hurlock alpha’s axe swinging at my head before everything went black. The last thing I thought was: _Loghain has betrayed us_.


End file.
